[Cuis] Explicit status of packages (was Re: A question on packages)

[Juan Vuletich]

On 29/06/2014 02:19 a.m., Casey Ransberger wrote:
> I love it. But I had a thought: what happens when the user of a 
> package isn't human? It seems like these little bits of essential 
> information might be very valuable to have in the image too, sort of 
> like a "package header" in the package file (just Smalltalk chunk 
> code, of course.)
>
> Maybe it's not that useful, but I think it might gel well with the 
> package system to ensure that useful information like this makes it 
> into the image. Then, I think, Ken Dickey's 'requirements' could 
> potentially at some later time make good use of the information (I'm 
> thinking a dialog pops and says something like "The package you want 
> to install requires Cuis version X, but you're running Cuis version 
> X-1. Continuing may hose your image. [OK, Hose It] [No, Abort Mission].")

Yes! As Ken also said, the information is all there, in the .pck.st 
files. What we need is better use of that information in the Cuis image. 
Casey, or anybody else, feel free to help with this. I'm short of time 
and with a long to-do list...

> Of course I can probably get better copy from the marketing department 
> for the button text.
>
> Or maybe I'm over thinking things again. Thoughts?

Not at all. This is the kind of thing we need.

> --C
>
> P.S. [OT NERDERY]
>
> Anyone here play Kerbal Space Program? I'm in love. I also haven't 
> been productive since I got it, unless one counts designing a rocket 
> to carry a little green man to his nearby moon and get him back again 
> safely as productivity. It's great though, after playing the game for 
> a couple of weeks, without resorting to any kind of math, I have an 
> intuitive grasp of orbital mechanics, which makes me want to resort to 
> the math next, to deeply understand, because my rockets will be 
> smaller and more efficient if I can understand the science deeply. I 
> think every little kid should have this game. It's really effective at 
> giving you the sense of how incredibly vast the solar system is (much 
> less the universe!) and how very small our Pale Blue Dot really is.
>
> P.P.S.

Cool! I bet you're having lots of fun

> We really should put Cuis in space if we can. I bet we can...
>

:)

Cheers,
Juan Vuletich